One problem common to all gaming machines is the frustration experienced by a player who is unable to achieve a winning combination, yet sees a “near miss” combination that shows a winning combination was just missed. For example, two symbols on a line match, but a third matching symbol is one position off. Players may be superstitious and seek a “hot” machine because players want to believe that their machine is about to pay off. While successive “near miss” results retain the player's interest by encouraging this belief, if the player continues to lose in this situation, interest in the game is not retained and the player leaves the machine and stops gaming.
Several games have been developed that allow displayed symbols to change positions in a limited manner, giving the player another chance to win. These methods are capable of producing more winning combinations for the player, and thus may retain the player's interest more than traditional machines would. However, these changes in orientation are limited in the ways symbols may move and the changes are not guaranteed to produce winning results. In the end, these machines may be less popular with some players because the supposed “second chance” gives them little advantage over traditional methods.
A traditional reel slot has a single payline for three reels with twenty-two physical stops on each reel. A typical game play consists of spinning the reels and stopping the reels to indicate a winning or losing position. Some games in the industry have special “nudge” symbols that have an indicator pointing up or down. When a nudge symbol pointing down lands above the payline, the symbol automatically moves down. When a nudge symbol pointing up lands below the payline, the symbol automatically moves up.
In these nudge games, only particular symbols can nudge. Usually the symbols have an up or down indicator, but sometimes a symbol can nudge both up and down. In all cases, the nudge symbols always nudge, whether a winning combination is made or lost by nudging.
The following prior art reflects the state of the art of which applicant is aware and is included herewith to discharge applicant's acknowledged duty to disclose relevant prior art. It is stipulated, however, that none of these references teach singly nor render obvious when considered in any conceivable combination the nexus of the instant invention as disclosed in greater detail hereinafter and as particularly claimed.
U.S. PAT. NO.ISSUE DATEINVENTOR5,704,835Jan. 6, 1998Dietz5,997,401Dec. 7, 1999Crawford